Va. Nikolaev et Dm. Harwood, Morphology and taxonomic position of the Late Cretaceous diatom genus Pomphodiscus Barker & Meakin, MICROPALEON, 46(2), 2000, pp. 167-177
Results from our investigation of Upper Cretaceous diatoms from the Marca S
hale Member of the Moreno Shale in California and from Ocean Drilling Progr
am (ODP) Hole 748C on the Kerguelen Plateau, Southern Indian Ocean enable a
clarification of the taxonomic position of several diatoms. Differences in
areola structure, a primary and conservative character of the diatom valve
, are used to separate diatoms recently included in the genus Benetorus. We
resurrect the genus Pomphodiscus to include species with locular areolae,
a central rimoportula, and a central inflated chamber. We propose the new s
pecies Pomphodiscus kerguelensis n. sp. and new combination Pomphodiscus cr
aspedodiscoides comb, nov.